


Working on It

by Aquamarine_is_Lyfe



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Always wanted this episode, Cute, F/F, First Dates, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-04
Updated: 2019-08-04
Packaged: 2020-07-30 22:42:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,823
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20104801
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aquamarine_is_Lyfe/pseuds/Aquamarine_is_Lyfe
Summary: Pearl and Mystery Girl finally get around to a first date





	Working on It

**Author's Note:**

> This was an episode I always wanted and I decided to just write it up myself. Hope you enjoy

Pearl crept up the last few stairs into the beach house. She breathed a sigh of relief as she quietly entered the door. The relief left the tired gem quickly as the lights suddenly turned on and Steven assaulted her with a hug.  
“Pearl!” He yelled, almost making Pearl fall with the hug, “How’d it go?”  
“Now Steven you really should be in be...” she stopped herself after looking down and being met with Steven’s usual wonder filled gaze, “It went great Steven.”  
“Well come on,” he said eagerly.  
“What?” Said Pearl taking a seat on the couch, only for Steven to jump on right in front of her.  
“You know you can’t leave out the details,” he pleaded with the gem.  
“Steven it’s four in the morning,” Pearl responded.  
“Great way to start the day!” He exclaimed while waiting intensely for Pearl to regale him with the night’s events. Pearl wasn’t winning this, so she submitted.  
“Oh alright I guess,” Pearl started before sternly saying, “but you’re going to bed right after.” Steven barely reacted to the stipulation. With a slight sigh Pearl told him everything.  
-  
Music was blasting into Sheena’s ears as she drove her bike down the road. This would be her first real date in months she was nothing but excited for it. She slowed to a stop as Pearl came into view.  
“Hope I didn’t leave you waiting too much,” Sheena said while taking off her helmet.  
“Of course not,” Pearl replied enthused yet nervous to get the night started, “you said 7:30 so naturally I’ve only been here an hour.” A smile found its way onto Pearl’s face as she stood blissfully ignorant of how ridiculous what she said was to most people.  
“Naturally,” Sheena said jokingly while stifling a chuckle.  
“So,” started Pearl with a slight blush as the reality of the situation finally started to hit her, “what did you have planned?”  
“I figured we could start by grabbing some grub,” Sheena explained, “There’s a great seafood place not too far, not exactly five star but it’s got its charm.” Sheena was caught off guard when she saw Pearl with a nervous smile, “Something wrong with that?”  
“No, I mean, well,” Pearl stammered, “It’s just that gems don’t really eat, at least we don’t have to.”  
“So you still can?” Sheena asked with a raised brow.  
“Well yes, but...” Pearl was cut off by Sheena grabbing her arm.  
“You’ll love it!” She exclaimed hopping onto the bike with Pearl in tow.  
Pearl was anxious at first as they sped down the mostly vacant road, but she was eventually put at ease by Sheena’s presence. Pearl gripped Sheena and though she didn’t know it, the action brought a blush to her date’s face.  
-  
“Table for two please,” Sheena said as she entered the restaurant with Pearl. Despite the menu being Japanese influenced, the establishment itself leaned into being right next to a beach.  
“AGH!” Pearl shrieked as they passed a cook preparing a meal at the first table. She instinctively pulled out her spear upon seeing the man’s liberal use of knives.  
“Whoa whoa,” said Sheena as she went to settle Pearl down, “He’s just cooking, they do that at the table in like half of this place.”  
“Oh,” Pearl responded, realizing the restaurant was now full of eyes glaring at her, “Sorry.” Pearl then put away her spear. The poor chef she threatened passed out immediately.  
Pearl stood there frozen, unable to do anything but take in the frightened stares of the other customers and employees.  
“You okay?” Sheena whispered to Pearl.  
“They’re all looking at me,” Pearl whispered back.  
Sheena gently started leading Pearl to their table as she continued whispering, “Just ignore them, everything’s okay.” Pearl just nodded in response, despite not exactly agreeing.  
Sheena flipped through her menu with a smile, attempting to lighten the mood a bit.  
“So what are you gonna ge...” Sheena stopped as she looked up to see Pearl shaking with her face glued to the menu.  
“Pearl,” Sheena spoke up to break Pearl’s focus on her thoughts, eliciting a jump out of the gem Sheena couldn’t help but find adorable.  
“Yes,” Pearl said in a reflexive manner.  
“Do you wanna get out of here?”  
“No I couldn’t possibly ruin your plans,” Pearl said, clearly guilty about Sheena feeling the need to ask the question.  
“Pearl my plan was to have a good time with you,” she replied, “That means you having a good time too.” Pearl didn’t know how to respond. After a brief silence Sheena held out her hand.  
“Come on,” she said with a smile. Pearl grew a slight blush as she hesitantly met her date’s hand, before being swiftly led out of the restaurant.  
“Where are we going?” Pearl couldn’t help but yell out of shear shock.  
“You’ll see,” was the only hint Sheena was willing to give.  
-  
“A park?” Pearl asked as Sheena stopped the bike.  
“Not just any park,” Sheena responded while gently leading the gem into the park, “this park never gets visitors.”  
“And?” Pearl asked with an eyebrow raise.  
“Aaaand that means we’ve got the whole place to ourselves,” the larger woman answered, “meaning no worrying about other people ruining our good time.”  
“I have to admit this is awfully surprising from you,” Pearl said  
as she began taking a look around.  
“Why’s that?”  
“Well it just seems so quiet,” Pearl started, “and you’re into the parties and the music Steven tells me is called ‘punk’.”  
Sheena lets out a small laugh before talking, “Well ‘Steven’ is right and yeah I do like that stuff but sometimes...” Sheena drifted off briefly to observe the beauty of the nature around them, “Sometimes you just need a break from everything.”  
Pearl looked at Sheena with a smile, lost in an almost trancelike state. It was broken soon after by a sudden burst of laughter from the pink haired girl.  
“What is it?” Pearl asked, oblivious to anything that could have elicited such a reaction out of nowhere.  
“Your...your nose,” Sheena blurted out between laughs. Pearl looked at Sheena in confusion before crossing her eyes to see that a bird had landed oh so perfectly between them. Pearl froze.  
“Here let me get it,” Sheena said in the tail end of her laughing fit as she gently put her finger up to Pearl’s nose for the bird to step on. Once it changed perches the tall woman carefully released it back into the sky. Memories flooded back to Pearl at the sight.  
“I’m really glad you brought me here,” Pearl said, breaking her date’s focus on the bird that was now flying away, “things like this, these beautiful things always remind me of all the wonderful things I’ve spent the last thousand years defending.”  
“Well not the train of thought I would expect someone to have,” Sheena said jokingly, “but I’m glad to give you a chance to smell the roses.”  
The two stood there for several minutes, just staring at each other. Eventually Sheena started leaning towards her petite gem, a movement Pearl quickly but naturally began to reciprocate. Their mouths opened slightly in preparation for a kiss.  
As they were inches away from each other, Sheena heard Pearl whisper tenderly, “Oh Rose.”  
The taller woman’s eyes shot open and she took a step back, pushing Pearl away slightly at the same time.  
“What’s wrong?” Pearl asked, a flurry of emotions visibly stirring in her eyes.  
“Who’s Rose?” Sheena asked, shaken for the first time all night. Pearl’s eyes opened even wider, the emotions winding down to a more extreme sense of fear and remorse.  
“I... I’m sorry,” Pearl said softly, her face turning to the ground. It didn’t take long for tears to start streaming down. Pearl wanted nothing more in that moment then to leave, but she couldn’t bring herself to move. A sudden jolt ran through Pearl as she felt hands on her shoulders.  
“It’s okay just,” Sheena said in a voice kinder than any Pearl had heard in a long time, “tell me what’s going on.”  
Pearl told her everything. Hours passed by as she told Sheena about Rose, and every story she had that went along with her. Eventually, she got to the present.  
“You look just like her,” Pearl said in a sensitive, apologetic tone, “I guess I just couldn’t keep her out of my head.”  
Sheena tried her best, but she couldn’t keep a chuckle from escaping her, “Sorry just, hold on.” Pearl looked on confused as Sheena regained her composure. “Okay I’m good now,” she started delicately, “Sorry just, you can’t just go chasing someone that looks like your ex and think that’s closure.”  
“Right,” Pearl said solemnly, “I’m sorry.”  
Sheena wrapped an arm around the gem before speaking again, “It’s alright, but you need to know I’m not her, and neither is anyone else.”  
“What if I don’t want anyone else?” Pearl said almost instinctively, barely aware she was talking.  
“Frankly I don’t think you’ve looked for anyone else,” Sheena answered her.  
“Where would I even start?” Pearl asked, finally looking back up at the tall woman.  
“Well I’m still here, as long as you remember it’s me,” Sheena answered a bit sarcastically, but the sentiment was true.  
“Promise,” Pearl replied, surprising herself with how eager she was to try with Sheena again. The gem was the one to start the kiss this time, but Sheena stopped her.  
“Tempting as it is,” Sheena began, making sure to make Pearl comfortable, “I think we’re gonna have to take things a bit slow.”  
“Right,” Pearl replied with a nervous chuckle, “slow.” Silence surrounded them for awhile before either spoke. They just sat there, Pearl eventually laid her head in Sheena’s lap, which Sheena reciprocated by trailing her hand gently through the gem’s hair.  
“So,” Pearl started, staring into Sheena’s eyes, “What do you wanna talk about?”  
The two stayed there talking for about another hour until eventually, they fell asleep.  
-  
“And then she drove me back here when we woke up,” Pearl said, finishing her story of the night. She hadn’t looked back at Steven since shortly after she started, virtually forgetting he was there.  
“So,” Steven said gleefully, startling Pearl in the process, “You’re over Mom now?”  
“No Steven,” Pearl said with a smile to the now confused child, “but I’m getting there.”  
After Pearl finally got Steven to sleep, she returned to her room. She gently sprawled herself out on her favorite water platform and pulled out her phone. She was mentally thanking Steven and Connie for showing her how to change her wallpaper, as she set to a photo she had taken just a few hours prior: a picture taken from Pearl’s view in Sheena’s lap. The tall girl sleeping gently, the moonlight glowing behind her. Pearl grinned at the screen, her eyes gently drifting closed as they rarely did.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope anyone reading enjoyed it! I realized a while ago that Pearl dating someone for looking like Rose isn’t really moving on so I tried to find a compromise and I’m pretty happy with how it came out. Thanks for reading and please comment your thoughts!


End file.
